The Watermark Art Center’s 52^nd Annual Art in the Park presented by Paul Bunyan Communications is July 20-21 at Library Park at the Lake Bemidji Waterfront.

Saturday, July 20              10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sunday, July 21                 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Art in the Park has been appealing to local residents and visitors from all over the country since 1967. This juried fine arts and craft fair located in downtown Bemidji on the shores of Lake Bemidji in beautiful, tree lined Library Park and boasts an annual attendance of over 4,000 visitors during this two day event. Situated just north of the famous statues of Paul Bunyan, Babe the Blue Ox and the Tourist Information Center, “Art in the Park” features over 100 artists, a dozen food vendors and live entertainment all within easy reach and walking distance of downtown Bemidji and all its amenities.

For more information, visit https://watermarkartcenter.org/our-programs/art-in-the-park/

The 75th Annual Bemidji Jaycees Water Carnival is July 3-7!  The annual tradition since 1944 features all sorts of fun with the rides/carnival at the Sanford Center and the Paul Bunyan Communications Entertainment tent at the Waterfront.

For a complete schedule of events visit www.bemidjijaycees.com/water-carnival.html

The 71^st Annual Deer River Lions Club Wild Rice Festival is July 12-14 sponsored in part by Paul Bunyan Communications.

It’s 3 days of fun in Deer River with bingo, flea market, midway, and beer garden throughout.

Friday features a pow-wow, turtle feed, and live music featuring the Great Outdoors.

Saturday is the Bike Rodeo, amateur music competition, open air concert featuring the Dweebs, and Fireworks.

Sunday it’s the Kiddie Tractor Pull, parade and White Oak Casino presents a free concert featuring Confederate Railroad.

For more information visit www.wildricefestival.com

Paul Bunyan Communications has announced they will be constructing a key, new facility at 510 SE 21st Street in Grand Rapids beginning this summer and opening in the late spring of 2020.

“It’s our hope that our new customer service and technology center will be a great addition to the Grand Rapids community and reinforce our cooperative’s commitment to the city and region.  It will also position us to better serve this important and expanding part of our service area well into the future.  I’m very excited that our employees, growing membership base and potential new customers will soon benefit from this great new facility,” said Gary Johnson, Paul Bunyan Communications CEO & General Manager.

The member-based, non-profit cooperative began expanding its all-fiber optic network to the Cohasset and Grand Rapids areas in 2004. Since then, Paul Bunyan Communications has continued to aggressively expand to rural areas of Itasca and St. Louis counties providing state of the art, gigabit Internet and other communication services to areas lacking these critical services  Paul Bunyan Communications is now the largest broadband cooperative in the state of Minnesota.

“I’m really excited that Paul Bunyan Communications is investing in a new customer service and technology center here.  The cooperative provides first class communication services to the region and with their commitment to local customer service also provides many good paying jobs in the technology field.  I can’t wait to see their operations move to this beautiful new facility next year,” said Rick Blake, Grand Rapids City Councilor

“We are excited that Paul Bunyan has committed to expanding their office and service delivery in Grand Rapids.  They are an important partner in our community.  Economic development is currently one of the priorities of the County Board.  Expansion of high speed internet is vital to that growth and improved customer service will certainly add benefit,” said Davin Tinquist, Itasca County Board Chair.

“Paul Bunyan has played an integral part in ‘connecting’ much of Itasca County through their broadband expansions,” said Tamara Lowney, President of Itasca Economic Development Corporation (IEDC).  “We value their partnership with IEDC and their continued investment into our area, both through their expansion and their community minded investments.  Their leadership in providing broadband to our rural communities in critical to attracting and retaining our workforce and families.”

The first Paul Bunyan Communications office in Grand Rapids was in leased space in the Central Square Mall from 2005-2008.  To meet growing customer demand, their current larger leased retail space was opened in 2008 on Pokegama Ave South which will remain open until the cooperative-owned facility construction is complete.

The construction manager of the project is Kraus-Anderson (KA), one of the nation’s premier commercial general contractors and construction managers. Paul Bunyan Communications and KA have put a priority on hiring local contractors who are members of the cooperative for the project whenever feasible.  KA has a deep and valued relationship with Paul Bunyan Communications, having constructed portions of their cooperative headquarters in Bemidji along with several additions, network facilities and remodeling projects.

The Laporte-Benedict Lions Club Laporte Independence Day’s presented by Paul Bunyan Communications is Friday, July 5 and Saturday, July 6! The fun includes a craft/flea market, volleyball tournament, 5K, Pancake Breakfast, Bike Rodeo, live music, parade, Cow-A-Bunga Raffle, Fireworks, and more.

Five KDLH digital broadcast networks recently launched have been added to Paul Bunyan Television service for customers in Itasca, Koochiching, and St. Louis Counties.

It may take a day or two for the channels to appear in the guide as they are put onto the system but PBTV East Side customers can reset set top boxes and they should appear.

Justice Network (KDLH 3.2) can be found on PBTV channel 27.   Justice Network informs and entertains its viewers with gripping crime and investigation programming while making communities safer with first-of-its-kind public service initiative that helps catch fugitives, find missing children, and provide safety tips.

Laff’s Comedy (KDLH 3.3) can be found on PBTV channel 28 and features a mix of theatrically released feature films and reruns of sitcoms like Home Improvement, Night court, That ‘70s Show, and 3^rd Rock from the Sun.

Court TV (KDLH 3.4) can be found on PBTV channel 29.  The former cable network known for its gavel-to gavel trial coverage across America is being rebooted and it will include in-depth legal reporting and expert analysis of the nation’s most important and compelling trials.

Escape (KDLH 3.5) can be found on PBTV channel 30 and features movies & series that are daring, exciting, and anchored in stories of crime and mystery.  Escape’s schedule includes shows like Scandal, Without a Trace, and Law and Order.

Quest (KDLH 3.6) can be found on PBTV channel 31.  Quest features shows specialized in travel, historical science, and adventure-focused documentary and reality series.

Join us this Thursday from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. for the Bemidji Area Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours Showcase at the Hampton Inn & Suites of Bemidji. The showcase features 6 Chamber businesses including Paul Bunyan Communications, enter to win raffle prizes, get complimentary appetizers and a cash bar.

The event is a great opportunity to connect with new Chamber members, catch up with friends and find out what’s new in the business community! The Showcase is free for Chamber Members and their employees or $5 for non-members. No RSVP required, all you have to do is show up and enjoy. For more information contact Deb at 444-3541 ext. 107 or email events@bemidji.org

Join us Thursday, June 27 for 2nd Street Stage in Park Rapids sponsored by Paul Bunyan Communications!

From 6-8 p.m. enjoy the music of Kind Country, pick up a free gift while supplies last, and enter to win some great door prize drawings! Hope to see you there.

For more info visit 2nd Street Stage

Alice Martell of Cass Lake has won the Grand Prize of the CMT Music Awards Sweepstakes from Viacom Networks. Alice is a member of Paul Bunyan Communications, an affiliate of Viacom Networks that participated in the sweepstakes.

As the Grand Prize winner, Alice and guest receive roundtrip airfare to Nashville, TN; three days/two nights hotel accommodations; two tickets to the 2019 CMT Music Awards on June 5, and round-trip ground transportation to/from airport and hotel, to/from hotel and CMT Music Awards.

“Thank you Viacom and Paul Bunyan Communications for helping me with my Bucket List! I still cannot believe I won an all-expense paid trip for two to attend the 2019 CMT Awards in Nashville, TN! I love Country Music and I can’t wait! I’m a little bit crazy and a lotta country!” said Martell.

“We were thrilled to hear that one of our members won the CMT Music Awards Sweepstakes! It’s a national sweepstakes so the odds of winning are slim but you can’t win if you don’t enter. Alice saw our promotion of the sweepstakes on our Facebook page and from there the rest is history. We’re excited for Alice to get this special trip to the CMT Music Awards in Nashville,” added Brian Bissonette, Paul Bunyan Communications Marketing Supervisor.

CMT will make history this year as it packs the “2019 CMT Music Awards,” with more performances than ever before, featuring superstars Carrie Underwood, Dan + Shay, Kane Brown, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, Thomas Rhett, and more to be announced. Hosted by award-winning musical talent Little Big Town, the show will air LIVE from Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Wednesday, June 5 at 7 pm CST. CMT Music is on Paul Bunyan Television channel 352.